Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has urged Arise News Channel to prioritize accurate reporting and proper interpretation of news.
According to a report by Naija News, during a chat with selected journalists and ministerial media on Sunday night, Mr. Wike referred to Arise News correspondent’s reference to the Supreme Court’s judgment on the statehood status of the FCT. did.
He clarified that the Supreme Court’s interpretation was specifically about elections and did not formally designate the FCT as a state.
“So your station is telling the wrong story,” Wike said. He added: “The interpretation of the Supreme Court that the FCT has statehood is proven by the elections. They have elective status.”
Wike stressed that the FCT is not a member of the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) and does not receive allocations like states.
He said, “FCT is not a state and therefore not a member of FAAC.” It is not collected from federated accounts. We only receive 1% of what the federal government receives. ”
Mr Wike asked our correspondents to accurately convey the Supreme Court’s interpretation.
“So when you say the Supreme Court has interpreted it, give it the appropriate interpretation,” he said.
He added that political interpretations that equate the FCT with a state are misleading. “The political interpretation that the FCT is considered a state does not mean that the FCT is a state.”
When asked about President Bola Tinubu praising his performance as FCT Minister, Wike dismissed the question as a prank. “Ask yourself: How would you feel if your boss told you he was satisfied with your job?” he replied. He added: “Even if that question was a prank from Arise, with all due respect, that’s what we would kill journalism for.”
shameless embarrassment
Wike also criticized another Arise News anchor, Dr. Reuben Abati, for naming him during a conversation with Tinubu with the presidential media.
He expressed disappointment that the anchor accused him of “land grabbing” instead of asking questions.
“That was the president’s conversation with the media. It is very unfortunate that a first-class graduate would single out a minister and instead of questioning him, accuse him of ‘land grabbing.’ ” he said.
Wike claimed that the anchor was embarrassed after President Tinubu mentioned the issue.
“To the glory of God, he was embarrassed and could not ask any more questions after the President answered. He was shamelessly embarrassed,” Wike said.
